Domestic-violence suspect leads police on chase from Hanahan to Charleston

A man running from a domestic-violence call led officers on a chase from Hanahan into downtown Charleston today, tossing cocaine out a window and hitting a minivan as he fled, according to police.

Hanahan police were called to a house on Old Point Road shortly before 5 p.m., Lt. Michael Fowler said. The man who was involved in the dispute took off in dark blue Ford Crown Victoria. He forced an officer to drive into a yard in a nearby neighborhood to avoid getting hit, Fowler said.

The driver threw cocaine out a window in the Fort Drive area, Fowler said.

The Ford clipped a van at the red light in front of Virginia College on Rivers Avenue. The Highway Patrol was called to investigate the collision.

The Ford’s driver got on I-26 at Remount Road and headed toward Charleston. He finally stopped the car on Maple Street just east of Ensten Avenue, with the front end facing King Street, jumped out and ran between some houses, according to several witnesses. The right front fender was bashed in and missing a parking light.

North Charleston officers who were following the car left the scene, and officers and dogs from Charleston and Hanahan spent about an hour looking for the man without finding him. The car was searched and towed away.

Police are fairly certain they know who the guy is and will release his name as soon as they are certain, Fowler said. If it’s the man they suspect, he also doesn’t have a valid driver’s license.